Visiting the Rhododendron Gaden Nursery

It's always a joy to visit the nurseries of independent growers.  The Rhododendron Garden Nursery in Federal way is a one woman show. A retired school teacher,  Diane Bell is living her dream of propagating and selling plants at her seven acre nursery in Federal Way.  Check out a previous visit here.

The main sales area of the nursery has interesting and healthy plants beautifully displayed.  This Rhododendron sinogande is gorgeous!

I love walking through the whole place as there are finds around every corner. For instance this group of Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex' (double flowered bloodroot) in large pots.  These sell for 20 to 30 dollars in four inch pots at most nurseries; here they'e $20.00 for these lager than gallon pots.

Here are the two that are now in my garden.  I had one that I bought here a year or so ago and it's cheerful blooms and interesting foliage brighten the deep shade of the bamboo grove.  Can one really have too much of a good thing?

In bloom were Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)  an eastern U.S. native.  They were tempting but it's been a banner year for these in my own garden so I didn't feel the need to get any more even though they were so inexpensive.  An attractive evergreen shrub with these long lasting flowers ranging from white to deep purple.

The buds are as interesting as the flowers themselves!  Are those sweet or what?  I have one that has florescent pink buds that open to the lightest pink flowers.

White buds open to this maoon and white bicolor.  Did I mention that these can tolerate a little shade?   I leaned from Diane that it takes three years to create a one gallon blooming specimen of Kalmia as they're very slow growers.

Rhododendron occidentale, the western azalea  is one of two deciduous azaleas native to the western U.S.  This is one beautiful and fragrant native!

Not so great for year round interest, hostas sure look great and even tropical during the summer!  

Who wouldn't love a plant that does all this in the shade?

This one was added to my collection!

I love the maple leaf pattern of variegation on some hostas.

There were many areas like this one.  Here we see trillium growing.  How exciting to think that these will be available next year.

The bright colors and fun flower forms of tuberous begonias always catch my eye.  

As the name of the nursery states, Rhododendrons are a specialty and there are acres of them.  Diane has photo albums of what the blooms of all of them look like should you shop when they're out of bloom. Shopping after bloom time is a great way to evaluate foliage.

Another specialty is hydrangeas.  I happened by the nursery just after most of the rhodies were finished blooming and just before the hydrangeas started.  There will be quite an explosion of color here very soon.

A hydrangea that doesn't need flowers to charm is Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey'

 More plants being grown on.  It's a pleasure to walk though this nursery because of the park-like setting.  

Rhododendron stenopetalum.

 Even more rhododendrons. 

What's the price for nice two to five gallon potted specimens?  

R. 'Az Flame'  

There was a heavenly fragrance that stopped me in my tracks.  Turns out it was coming from this Rhododendron polyandrum.  The specimens were too large to fit into my car and this isn't hardy here and would need to be brought in during coldest part of the winter. So sad to leave it behind as that fragrance is amazing, like a fine perfume.  The good news is that she has more started that are too small to sell this year but might be ready next year.

I so enjoyed chatting with Diane.  At the end of our visit, she snapped off a flower from R. polyandrum so that I could take the fragrance home without taking the whole bush.  How cool is that?  The plant mobile smelled great all the way home!